People have been displaying paintings and other pictures for centuries. Typically the paintings were, and still are, placed in a frame and hung on a wall or set on a desk or a table. The frames used in the past range from ornate gilded wood frames to simple metal frames. Photographic pictures have been displayed in both wall-hung frames and in free-standing frames. The free-standing frames used today typically consist of a wood or metal frame having a piece of glass placed therein. The photograph to be displayed is placed in contact with the glass such that the picture side of the photograph is facing the glass. To keep the photograph in the frame, some type of retaining system is normally included with the frame. The retaining system is often a piece of cardboard placed in back of the photograph and held in place by a series of bendable metal clips on the periphery of the frame. After the photograph and the cardboard are placed into the frame, the clips are bent to extend inward from the frame and across the cardboard to form a barrier thereby retaining both the cardboard and the photograph in the frame. In the past, most free-standing photographic frames were maintained in a substantially upright configuration by using a brace connected to the back side of the cardboard retaining member. These braces were often simply triangular tabs of cardboard which could swing out from the cardboard on vertical hinges.
More recently, advances in plastics and plastic production techniques have produced a new industry making plastic frames. Some of the frames produced merely replaced the wood or metal portion of the frames discussed above. On the other hand, others have begun producing single piece, all plastic frames for photographs. The all plastic frames are made by taking a thin sheet of plastic and folding it twice. The resulting frame has a main portion into which the photograph is placed and a base portion which supports the main portion while it supports the main portion. The main portion is generally an inverted U-shaped piece of the plastic having a 180.degree. bend at its top. The photograph is placed from the side into the space between the front and the back section of the plastic. The base is an extension of the front section which is folded under the main portion of the frame producing an angle between the base and the back portion between 90.degree. and about 60.degree.. These types of frames have the drawback that the photographs are not firmly held in the internal space which results in the pictures tending to slide out of the frames.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a frame for displaying a photograph. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a picture frame which firmly retains the photograph. Another object of the present invention is to provide a picture frame that is substantially a single piece of plastic which can be injection molded. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a picture frame having a front surface suitable for accepting the placement of appliques. And yet another object of the present invention is to provide a picture frame which is aesthetically pleasing. Further, an additional object of the present invention is to provide a picture frame which is relatively easy to manufacture and is comparatively economical.